NC: 3,000 Veterans Waited for Radiology Exams at Salisbury

A new report released this week from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirms that over 3,000 veterans waited for radiology exams at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Salisbury, North Carolina.

Backlog data reviewed by inspectors confirmed that the number of pending radiology exam orders reached a high of 3,205 as of January 9, 2014. This fact supported the initial allegation that a large backlog of pending radiology exams existed at the Salisbury VA at some point early in 2014.

Just last week in North Carolina, another OIG healthcare inspection report verified that improper preoperative evaluations occurred from 2014 to 2015 at the Fayetteville VA. These improper evaluations caused preventable surgical delays and cancellations. Even worse, patient deaths occurring within thirty days of surgery were not reported or reviewed by the required oversight groups.